From the Bramanette Refuge to the Ambin Refuge

de fr

A beautiful route, sometimes off the beaten track or on poorly marked paths. From the top of the passes, you can see both the peaks of the Vanoise (the Dent Parachée) and the Barre des Ecrins.
This hike follows on from the "Le refuge de Bramanette" route.

This walk is part of a multi-day hike: La face cachée de la Maurienne

Details

n°65
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 13.67 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 7h 35 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Difficult
  • ⚐
    Back to start: No
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 1,276 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 1,117 m
  • ▲
    Highest point: 2,964 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 2,109 m
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Photos

Sommeiller Torrent
Towards Pointe Sommeiller
The Ferrand Glacier
On the shores of Lac Noir

Description of the walk

(S) From Bramanette, head towards the pass at the end of the valley. The path is sometimes poorly marked but the route is very obvious.

(1) From the Col de Bramanette, the view is beautiful and you can already see much of the rest of the hike.
The descent is steep and a little tricky at first, but you quickly reach the pastures.

(2) You can eat near Lac du Plan des Eaux, at the foot of Grand Bec d'Etache.
The trail is then fairly well marked along the moraine, but if you are feeling adventurous (and allergic to moraines), you can cut across the easy rock bars to reach the Plan d'Etache.

(3) The Pas de la Coche is nearby, but you can take the Col de la Coche a little further on.
On the way down, stop at the edge of Lac Noir to rest before descending into the Ambin valley. This descent is beautiful, with numerous small waterfalls on the torrent.

(4) Crossing the Ambin stream.

The valley narrows as you arrive at the Refuge d'Ambin, but you will receive a warm welcome (E).

Waypoints

  1. S : km 0 - alt. 2,109 m - Refuge de Bramanette
  2. 1 : km 4.29 - alt. 2,810 m - Col de Bramanette (2856m)
  3. 2 : km 7.15 - alt. 2,511 m - Plan des Eaux Lake
  4. 3 : km 9.31 - alt. 2,964 m - Pas de la Coche - Near - Lac Noir (Vallée de la Maurienne)
  5. 4 : km 12.54 - alt. 2,339 m - Ruisseau d'Ambin (ruisseau) - Affluent de l'Arc
  6. E : km 13.67 - alt. 2,270 m - Refuge d'Ambin

Notes

Bramanette Refuge: +33 (0)4 79 05 10 93 – +33 (0)6 47 60 69 65 ( at the refuge)
Bramanette Refuge

Ambin Refuge: Refuge: +33 (0)4 79 20 35 00, Caretaker: +33 (0)6 72 64 36 94
Ambin Refuge

Reviews and comments

4.8 / 5
Based on 3 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.7 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.7 / 5
Route interest
5 / 5
lemarcheur65
lemarcheur65 ★

Hello Odile.74
Update completed.

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Odile.74
Odile.74

Same comment regarding practical information about the Bramanette refuge
Please update the telephone number:
06 47 60 69 65

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Toine
Toine

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 14, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very challenging hike. The scenery is spectacular. The only downside is the very basic Ambin refuge.

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fredmauny
fredmauny

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 24, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

There is a difficult section on the descent from the Col de Bramanette, which is very tricky (steep slope on loose ground) and could cause problems for average hikers. There is a second similar difficulty (slightly less pronounced) on the descent from the Pas de la Coche. The Col de la Coche is strongly discouraged in summer.

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Xari
Xari

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 17, 2016
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A beautiful hike, very wild and not very busy (even in August). The passes are quite steep but not difficult.
Be careful, the signposting at the Pas de la Coche is quite discreet and it is easy to get lost even though the route is fairly obvious.

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Dan055
Dan055
• Edited:

I DIDN'T DO THE WHOLE ROUTE BUT, WHEN I ARRIVED FROM REF. SCARFIOTTI (VIA THE COL D'ETACHE), I TOOK THE BALCON TRAIL (A SMALL PART OF YOUR CIRCUIT) TO LAKE LIAEL, THEN DESCENDED TO MONTBAS - REFUGE SU SUFFET (DAY 1),
FROM THERE (DAY 2) TO THE AMBIN REFUGE AND THEN, FOLLOWING THE CIRCUIT BUT IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION, TO THE RUISSEAU DE COTE CORNUE. FROM THERE, RETURN TO THE SCARFIOTTI REFUGE BY CLIMBING THE COL D'ETACHE, ETC.
THE TIME GIVEN IS FOR THE ENTIRE CIRCUIT THAT I DID AND CANNOT BE COMPARED WITH THAT OF THE INDICATED HIKE.
THE MAP IS GOOD. THE DESCRIPTION IS A LITTLE POOR. IT'S OK IF THE WEATHER IS GOOD AND YOU CAN SEE FROM A DISTANCE WHERE IT IS BETTER (OR WHERE YOU NEED TO GO). WITH FOG OR EVEN CLOUDS COVERING THE VIEW IN SEVERAL PLACES, IT IS EASY TO GET LOST. MORE DETAILED INFORMATION ABOUT THE TRAILS AND THE SIGNS WOULD BE NEEDED (BUT SHOULD I MENTION THAT? OTHERWISE I COULD SAY THAT WE FOUND SEVERAL SIGNS COVERED BY STONES AND BROKEN SIGN POSTS) IT'S TRUE THAT THE SIGNS CAN CHANGE, BUT WHEN THAT HAPPENS (AND IT USUALLY TAKES YEARS), IT'S NOT DIFFICULT TO CHANGE THE DESCRIPTION ON THE WEBSITE.
IN THE PARISH SPECIFIC TO BRITTANY, IT IS VERY USEFUL. THANK YOU FOR YOUR WORK.

DANIELE CASTELLINO

(Please excuse the missing accents in the text. I started writing in capital letters and didn't think about it...)

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